YOUR CART

A Precariously Balanced Life

Dear Reader,If you've been with me since the beginning, thank you, and welcome back!If you've just found me, welcome.As always, my heart is full & eternally grateful for you stopping by,Love you forever, T.B. Cooper

Oh my Freaking GOSH, does it ever feel GREAT to be sitting back at this desk of mine, plugging away at these keys...speaking to all of you!!

Currently, we are in a 'transition' phase in this household.

Remember I said my niece and her two kids were moving in? Well, they did. And while she is at work, I have the distinct pleasure of whipping her kids into shape-- along with my grand-baby and her best-friend (my Best Friend's daughter, whom I am a secondary mommy to), who happens to always be at our house while her mommy is also at work.

So... what does that mean? It means I am GOING CRAZY!!!

hehehehehe!

Actually, that is definitely a big part of it. I am going crazy. My life for the last week has been completely flipped upside down as I had to handle/address other priorities, that left absolutely NO ROOM in my day for writing OR blogging. Which, for me, is a HUGE deal since the two activities have pretty much become necessities to my very survival. Like... I need to write & blog to live. To REALLY LIVE. I can breathe okay without them, but I damn sure ain't LIVING if I am not doing exactly what I have fought so hard to be able to finally do, this year.

I have learned to accept that sometimes your passions need to be put on hold for a minute, to address other issues... but it is also just as important to not let your passions wait too long on hold, lest you want them to feel forgotten like a customer waiting on the other line....

Well, so what did I occupy my week with while I was MIA?

For one, I was training the four littles at my house in their new tasks. As part of this household, they each have a list of chores they are responsible for. Eight per kid, actually. Do the math, and that's 32 chores I was busy teaching the young'uns how to do. Now, mind you, my grand daughter already had about 11 chores she was responsible for, but I went ahead and gave some of them to the other kids, while giving her a couple new ones.

I had to come up with a list of chores I felt two 6 year-olds & two 5 year-olds could get done relatively unassisted, then, because the other three children were excited to get their own chart, I had to make each one their own Chore Chart with Pins. It looks easy, and I really thought it would be... but the drying time for the paint, mixed in with just the basic brainstorming and everything else I was trying to accomplish, meant that it still took me a couple of days to get done.

Either myself, or one of my daughters take one of these out with us to make sure each chore is being done.

I have my friend's daughter do these. She does a GREAT job! These are for the garden beds in the early spring. We put these out BEFORE the plants begin to fruit, so birds will be 'somewhat' deterred from eating the real thing!

Remember this from my last post? If not, click on the picture to read how I do the Chore Chart/Reward System.

What else was I doing?

"Spring Cleaning," for starters. Yes, I know, it is not Spring, but before any Christmas can go up (which it STILL hasn't! Pitiful, I know!), I have to dust and reorganize EVERYTHING-- EVERY YEAR. It's kinda sadistic, really. I think I do it because I need MORE to stress about.

Maybe not, but it sure feels that way!

I think really I do it because Winter is such an important season. Springtime, for me-us, is too late to start cleaning. At that point, we really need to have it ALL ORGANIZED and ready to go, because there is just way too much to do schoolwork and farm wise. Plus, in the winter we are stuck inside a bit longer beacuse of the outside temperature & lack of daylight, so it only makes sense to do the cleaning now, and before Christmas & most importantly--the NEW YEAR.

Clean House=Clean Slate

And I can say with a satisfied smile... the house is Pretty Darn Clean & Organized & Ready!! Whoot Whoot!

Quick Side Note...

Can I just add that I ABSO-Freakin-LUTELY LOVE Hefty Shrink Bags? Like, I am so NOT getting paid to say this, although I will DEFINITELY add my affiliate link for the bags on Amazon (which in that case could mean I'll get paid if your click becomes a purchase). I have tried SO many of the Space Saving Vacuum bags out there--and they ALL suck!! In a bad way. But these Hefty ones, which I bought on a whim because the Walmart by my house had them on clearance, are AMAZING!! They actually stay sealed, and suck down to a uniform size. I used a few to pack some of my niece's linens to put in storage, then I used a few more to pack my brother's and my friend's bedstuffs that I pull out for them when they visit for their beds. This way, the bedding will not get used accidentally , leaving me rushing around looking for replacements. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these bags!!

Of course, with everyone sick back and forth, guess who once again, has a sore throat?

Yes, me... good grief!

That's one of the perks of the Holiday season around here... Family visits TWICE a month, instead of once, which means we never officially get a break from a bug.

COME ON, JANUARY!!!

Anyway... I almost fell down from my happy delusional high I have been on for the past few months, as I became more & more overwhelmed with changes & responsibilities & new priorities. My depression was constantly staring me in the face every time I looked in the mirror, which is also another reason why I clean in the winter... Like most people, my depression is cyclical, and worse in the darker/colder months. To keep it at bay, I have to stay busy. Well, with four littles needing active learning and stimulation, plus the budding writing careers of two of my daughters(and my own!), the long-awaited return of my other daughter who is coming back from a vacation to her father's & then heading straight to Cosmetology School, plus, plus, plus... I think I'll have PLENTY to keep me busy, for quite a while!

Not Just for Christmas, by Kim KnightThree Fat Singletons by JM BartholomewParanormal: The Old Woman's Paintings by Lamees AlhassarAbsolute Sunset by Kata MlekJuliana by Dr. VandaDesire in Tartan by Suz DeMelloRavel by Shari J Ryan

Also, the few posts I expect to get done and posted this month:

the rest of my Thanksgiving Recipes--I know, I totally suck! Sorry!Some Pie Recipes, that should have been up a WHILE ago!A new post on How I Wrap Odd-Shaped Gifts.Meal Planning-How to Budget (Finally! Again, keeping it real here, I'm trying!)Meal Plan/Calendar etc. for January.and maybe one or two more--but seriously, this will be a LITE month as far as posting goes.

Again,bring on January!

I am so excited for all the things I'm looking forward to accomplishing next year, as I can now say with conviction, ​that this year has been one I am thoroughly proud of!

Thank you for your continued support... I couldn't have done it without you! In fact, when I have my dark moments, where I feel like I am a failure at everything and I end up questioning is any of this even worth it... I just remind myself of how many of you visit me/my site for what I can only presume is some interest into the stuff I share and write about.

So, thank you.

Having a 'positive' aspect in life to focus on, is absolutely key to battling the onslaught of negative energy and thoughts that continually plague my psyche.

**Oh, and a reminder... only a few days left to enter for your chance to win a FREE copy of my Book.See details at the top of this page, or read an Excerpt & find out more, here.

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Mt. Charleston, as seen from my backyard.

Hello!

I’m T.B. Cooper, and I’m very excited to share my life with you. In between living on Pinterest, voicing political views of Equality (on Pinterest, Twitter and Tumblr), running an atypical farm in the Southern Nevada Desert, spiritually guiding & advising & fixing lives, and schooling my kids plus a bunch of others' kids (...that I'm not sure how they got here); you’ll find me fighting for desk space with my cats, attempting to keep their hair out of my tea, plugging my nose 'cause my bulldog likes to sleep & fart next to me, trying to actually do some work that makes ME happy…

I'm a woman of many traits and talents, some are better than others. In this Blog you'll find a little bit of everything. And I DO mean EVERYTHING!

Want to know more about me? Visit my About Page or we can talk (I'd love to hear from you), just head over to my Contact Page.

Don't miss out on my NEW SERIES, Tentaglian Empire: House of Tentagel. For details, click here.

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